Have you ever really considered the significance of the year number?
In ancient times, year numbers in different parts of the world were tied in to specific events – for example the start of the reign of a monarch.
The current system used throughout the modern world was devised in the year 525, although it took some time to be widely adopted. So what was the event on which it was based? The reign of a Roman Emperor? A Saxon King?
No. It was the birth of Jesus Christ, an itinerant preacher from a small town in the Middle East. Regarded as a trouble-maker by the Roman authorities; he was killed and his small band of followers was persecuted.
Ordinarily, you would expect such an event to be quickly forgotten – but instead, centuries later, it was selected as a significant moment in human history. That’s quite an achievement bearing in mind that there were no newspapers, TV or social media.
Does it prove anything?
No.
But it makes you think…..